Daniel 11:13-23

13 "For the king of the North will again raise a greater multitude than the former, and after an 1interval * of some years he will press on with a great army and much equipment.
14 "Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones * among your people will also lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they will fall down.
15 "Then the king of the North will come, cast up a 2siege ramp and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand.
16 "But he who comes against him will 3do as he pleases, and 4no one will be able to withstand * him; he will also stay for a time in the 5Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.
17 "He will 6set his face to come with the power of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be on his side.
18 "Then he will turn his face to the 7coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him; moreover, he will 8repay him for his scorn.
19 "So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will 9stumble and fall and be 10found no more.
20 "Then in his place one will arise who will 11send an oppressor through the Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger nor in battle.
21 "In his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred, but he will come in a time of tranquility and 12seize the kingdom by intrigue.
22 "The overflowing 13forces will be flooded away before * him and shattered, and also the prince of the covenant.
23 "After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.

Daniel 11:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 11

In this chapter the angel makes good his promise to Daniel, that he would show him what was written in the Scripture of truth, concerning the monarchies of the earth, and what would befall his people the Jews in the latter days; and after he had observed that he had strengthened and confirmed Darius the Mede, who was the first king of the then present flourishing monarchy, Da 11:1, he foretells the number of the kings of Persia, and particularly describes the fourth, Da 11:2 predicts the rise of the Grecian monarchy under Alexander the great, and the disposition of it after his death, Da 11:3,4 and then proceeds to give an account of the two principal kingdoms of that monarchy, into which it was divided, the Seleucidae and Lagidae; and of their kings, the king of Egypt, and the king of Syria, under the names of the king of the south, and the king of the north, and of their power and agreement, Da 11:5,6 and then of their various wars between themselves and others, and the success of them, Da 11:7-20, and particularly of Antiochus, his character and manner of coming to the kingdom, and of his wars with the king of Egypt, and the issue of them, Da 11:21-29 and of his persecution of the Jews, and the distress he should bring on them, and the use it should be of to the godly among them, Da 11:30-35, and then his antitype, antichrist, is described; the western antichrist, his character and actions, Da 11:36-39 then the eastern, his power, wealth and riches, hail and rain, Da 11:40-45.

Cross References 13

  • 1. Daniel 4:16; Daniel 12:7
  • 2. Jeremiah 6:6; Ezekiel 4:2; Ezekiel 17:17
  • 3. Daniel 5:19; Daniel 11:3, 36
  • 4. Joshua 1:5
  • 5. Daniel 8:9; Daniel 11:41
  • 6. 2 Kings 12:17; Ezekiel 4:3, 7
  • 7. Genesis 10:5; Isaiah 66:19; Jeremiah 2:10; Jeremiah 31:10; Zephaniah 2:11
  • 8. Hosea 12:14
  • 9. Psalms 27:2; Jeremiah 46:6
  • 10. Job 20:8; Psalms 37:36; Ezekiel 26:21
  • 11. Isaiah 60:17
  • 12. 2 Samuel 15:6
  • 13. Daniel 9:26; Daniel 11:10

Footnotes 10

  • [a]. Lit "at the end of the times, years"
  • [b]. Or "keep on coming"
  • [c]. Lit "stumble," and so throughout the ch
  • [d]. Lit "the people of its choice ones"
  • [e]. I.e. Palestine
  • [f]. Lit "and"
  • [g]. Lit "equitable things"
  • [h]. Lit "for him;" i.e. for her father
  • [i]. Or "exactor" of tribute
  • [j]. Lit "adornment;" i.e. probably Jerusalem and its temple
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